With such a playful visual language in his work, it seems fitting that New York–based designer Daniel Frumhoff discovered his interest in graphic design as a child from the iconic packaging, instruction manuals and bright colors of LEGO. “Design for me is a lot like LEGOs,” he says. “It’s a slow search to find the right pieces—typefaces, hierarchy, colors, messaging, imagery and illustration, for example—and the right balance so that everything snaps together.” With an educational background that reveals his insatiable need for varied design perspectives—studying at Webster University and the Basel School of Design during his BFA and completing his MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art—Frumhoff has developed a curiosity-fueled approach to design that has taken him to Interbrand, Jones Knowles Ritchie, Landor’s Global Marcom team, Naturalizer and Pentagram before beginning his current position as an art director at Apple. He also currently teaches typography and branding at Parsons, The New School, and treats his classrooms as a creative incubator in which to ask questions and experiment. “My guiding philosophy is to have fun, do good and do good work. Design is a serious act of play,” Frumhoff explains. “The pillars of my design practice are collaboration, perseverance, curiosity and play. Every project needs these elements to be successful and personally fulfilling.”